Cover for above ground pools



Aug. 11, 1970 w. H. BRADLEY COVER FOR ABOVE GROUND POOLS Filed Dec. 27, 1967 FIG. 4

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,523,308 COVER FOR ABOVE GROUND POOLS Warren H. Bradley, Franklin Square, N.Y., assignor to Medallion Pool Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 694,000 Int. Cl. E04h 3/19 U.S. Cl. 4-172.12 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE It is desirable to provide covers for swimming pools, particularly outdoor pools, to prevent leaves, dirt and other debris from being blown into the pool, when the pool is not in use. Such covers also protect people, particularly children, from accidentally falling into pools. Covers for this purpose have been provided for underground pools and have proven useful.

The present invention is intended and adapted to provide a cover for above-ground pools, it being among the objects thereof to devise a structure which is simple in design, is eminently suitable for use with such pools, and which positively holds in place even against relatively large forces seeking to displace it.

In practicing the present invention, there is provided a sheet of flexible material, such as canvas, synthetic plastic of adequate strength, etc. The central portion or body thereof is of the proper shape to cover the pool and the coping thereof. An extension on the edges of the cover projects downwardly over the coping and it has attached thereto a belt of tubing which is located a substantial distance below the coping, adding to the stability of the cover against disruption. In some case, particularly for large-sized pools, means are provided for anchoring the covering to the ground.

The invention is more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate like parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pool cover, made in accordance with the present invention, in operative position;

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view thereof taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a modified form of cover, some parts being broken away for clearness; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the means for anchoring the cover of FIG. 3.

With reference to the drawing, the wall 1 of the pool which is preferably of steel, has an inner lining for the purpose of creating a water proof tank to contain the water within the walls for swimming. It sits on the ground 2 and it may even be sunk partway into the ground. A coping 3, which is preferably also of metal, extends outwardly from the top of the pool wall.

The cover consists of a central or body portion 4, the outer edge 5 extends over the coping and the extreme end or skirt 6 extends downwardly in a substantially vertical direction. It is of a strong fabric or plastic and is preferably waterproof. One or more openings 8 in the tube are closed by cap 9 or a valve. The tube is filledwith water 3,523,308 Patented Aug. 11, 1970 "ice so that the action of gravity holds the cover in stabilized position. An extended portion 11 is fixed onto skirt 6 in any suitable manner, such as by heat and pressure or by stitching. It will be noted that tube 10 has a part thereof directly under the coping, enhancing the stability of the cover.

In FIG. 3 there is shown a modified form of the invention in which there is a pair of flaps 13 secured to the top of tube 7 and having a set of grommets 14 therein. A duplicate pair of flaps 13' and grommets 14 is secured to a point diametrically opposite the first set. On the centerline transverse to that of the aforementioned sets are single flaps 17 and 17 having one or more grommets therein. The flaps and grommets are for the purpose of anchoring the cover to a fixed surface, such as the ground, as illustrated in FIG. 4. A cable chain or rope 15 is threaded through grommets 14 and extends diagonally downward and outward. A spike 16 having an eye 16' is driven into the ground at an angle as shown and the free end of the cable is threaded through the eye and is fastened as desired, such as by a slip knot.

There are a number of advantages inherent in the new cover. Because of the presence of skirt 6, the cover is held snugly over the pool. The fact that the water tube 7 depends practically vertically from the edge of the coping and is partly under the coping provides a weight which stabilizes the cover so that even in a high windstorm there is no danger of the cover being lifted off of the pool. As a further safeguard, the cover may be anchored to the ground so that even if the water should leak out of the tube, there is still no danger of the cover being lifted accidentally.

Although the invention has been described by the use of two embodiments thereof, the invention is not limited thereto as many changes may be made within the spirit of the invention. For instance, the cover is applicable to pools of various regular and irregular shapes. The crosssection of the tube need not be circular but many other forms of tubes are available. The distance of the tube below the coping may be varied and it may even be close to the ground. The material used in the cover may be woven or may be in sheet form, and may be of synthetic or natural fibers or of synthetic plastic. Anchoring of the cover may be omitted, or the positions of the anchors may be other than shown in the drawing.

What is claimed is:

1. A protective cover for a swimming pool which extends a length above ground comprising a sheet of flexible material the dimensions of which are substantially greater than the dimensions of said pool so that said sheet extends substantially beyond the walls of said pool, a tube secured to the outer edges of said sheet, means for introducing liquid into said tube to provide sufficient weight therein to hold said sheet positively in position on sad pool, said tube being a substantial distance below the top of said pool when in operative position, the edges of said sheet extending over the top of said pool and downward in a substantially vertical direction to said tube and constituting a skirt, said distance being less than said length whereby said tube is unsupported from below, whereby said material is substantially under tension.

2. A protective cover for swimming pools in accordance with claim 1 wherein a coping extends outwardly from the top of said wall.

3. A protective cover for swimming pools in accordance with claim 1, wherein means attached to said vertical portion or to said tube are adapted to anchor said cover to a fixed point and include grommets attached to said cover and cables threaded therein, the free ends of said cables being secured to the ground, said grommets being located on opposite sides of said cover, and a coping extending outwardly from said wall in a horizontal direction and over which said cover extends.

4. A protective cover for swimming pools in accordance with claim 3 wherein a means attached to said skirt or to said tube is adapted to anchor said cover to a fixed point.

5. A protective cover for swimming pools in accord ance with claim 4 wherein said means includes grommets attached to said cover and cables threaded therein,

the free ends of said cables being secured to the ground. 10

7. A protective cover for swimming pools in accordance with claim 5 wherein said grommets are provided on opposite sides of said cover.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,883,676 4/1959 Kwake. 3,077,610 2/1963 Gazdik. 3,366,977 2/1968 Koehler.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner 

